Hey everyone here's the next chapter, and I'm hoping it isn't too bad, but you all know I'm my worst critic. In any event, if you enjoy this fic, thanks so much! If not, flame away.
The Luckiest
Eriol sat on the couch, his finger occasionally flinching slightly, the television station changing with every flinch. Click-Comedy Central. Click-HGTV. Click-TBS. The quick flicker of sound was abruptly stopped as he flipped to yet another station. Dark eyes concentrating on the next show he changed to, Eriol continued to surf as if he were on a mission to find the best show possible on the television.
Meanwhile, Tomoyo was in the kitchen finishing the dinner dishes. She quietly washed the last plate, taking a moment to stare out into the darkness of the night. She smiled at the sight of a small family walking, the young man guiding the stroller along while his love walked alongside him. Her thoughts drifted to Sakura and Syaoran, and she realized they would never have a moment like that. Not with Sakura intent on handing off the baby and going to who knew where for school. Tomoyo sighed, inwardly wishing for her friends to try and make things work out between them. Drying the plate in her hand, Tomoyo placed it back in the cupboard and hung the towel before walking into the living room where Eriol was intently watching a NASCAR race.
"I can't understand a word they're saying, but it's so. . . entrancing." Eriol murmured, his eyes glued to the screen as the cars sped around the track. Tomoyo smirked; Eriol always had a thing for American pastimes, and this was no exception. Cuddling closer to him, she pulled a book off the stand next to her and thumbed through to the page she had left off on.
"Eriol, do you think Syaoran and Sakura will raise the baby together in the long run?" Tomoyo asked, her violet eyes still concentrating on her reading. Eriol shifted his gaze from the television to his girlfriend's pensive stare at the page, then shrugged.
"Sakura's made it clear that she wants nothing to do with the baby. Syaoran told me she's only carrying it because he made a deal with her to take full responsibility and let her go her own way." Eriol replied.
"But don't you want to leave room for something to happen? For them to fall for each other or something? I just think it's a shame that they're going to have this child and tear the family apart the moment he or she comes into it." Tomoyo said, putting the book down and looking at Eriol with large sad eyes.
"Sure I think it's lousy, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's their lives, their decisions. We're just going to have to support those decisions." Eriol answered.
"I know you're right, but soon she's going to have this baby. In four months she's going to be a mother, and Syaoran's going to be a dad. I guess I'm just hanging onto some hope that whatever was between them that night five months ago will come back to them before they make a mistake they'll both regret." Tomoyo added, and Eriol nodded.
"If this is your way of telling me you're going to poke around and see if they are falling for each other, then be my guest. But when everything falls down on you and you make yourself look silly don't come to me and ask me why I didn't tell you not to do this." Eriol said, a smile forming on his lips. He knew Tomoyo wanted them to be together like a family. After all, Sakura's family had their trouble, and she only wanted to see her get the family she deserved.
"You know me too well." Tomoyo said, a sweet smile crossing her face before being drown out with a gentle kiss from Eriol. She wrapped her arms around him, bringing his comforting warmth closer to her and hugging onto him tightly.
"It's getting late. Let's get to bed. We have class tomorrow, remember?" Eriol muttered between kisses. Tomoyo pulled away and pouted, her dark hair falling around her face like a dark halo.
"What if I don't want to go to bed just yet? What if I want to do something else?" Tomoyo asked, her lips pouting as she looked at Eriol, who caught her drift perfectly. Without a moment's hesitation he scooped her up and carried her giggling into their bedroom and closed the door.
Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up slowly. Yet another morning without morning sickness, and she was ecstatic. The brunette reached for the ceiling, her fingers aching to touch heaven but finding themselves just short. Sakura got out of bed and walked over to the mirror in her room, taking in her appearance with worry. She was obviously showing her pregnancy by now, and her uniforms were being let out more and more, but the belly still showed. She had been hearing the people around her whisper the cruel rumors about her, but paid them no mind. It wasn't like she could do anything about it anyway.
'If only I could hide you forever. It's not that I'm ashamed of you, I just don't know if I can handle all the people around me being horrible to me.' Sakura thought, rubbing her tummy gently and feeling a smile tug at her lips when the baby inside her kicked back.
It had been a strange two months at her apartment. She was feeling so many different emotions, and all of them at the same time. She found herself crying whenever Syaoran even smiled at her, then screaming at him when he asked what was wrong. Her choice of diet had changed as well, becoming much more. . . diverse than it used to be. Just the other day she had walked down to the corner store, bought potato chips, dill pickles, and fudge, and made a sundae. She laughed as Syaoran made his first trip to the bathroom to heave up his lunch. She called it sympathy pains for the months of intense morning sickness she endured.
The emerald eyes softened slightly at the thought of Syaoran. He had truly stepped up and acted like a man during these last couple of months, making sure Sakura was eating at least SOME normal food, comforting her when she did have the rare bout of morning sickness, and making her laugh when she felt fat. Sakura felt a shock through her heart as she realized how much closer she had gotten to Syaoran, and how good it was to have him nearby sometimes. Slipping into her robe and slippers, Sakura made her way across the hall to where Syaoran was in bed sleeping, his rhythmic breathing the only sound coming from his room. Quietly she snuck in, knowing exactly where the floor creaked and avoiding those places almost expertly. Soon she found herself at the edge of his bed, kneeling down and watching him sleep.
He was cherubic in his slumber, his dark eyelashes framing his closed eyes like the doorway to a mystery. Messy chocolate hair was everywhere, sticking out in every possible direction. He looked almost childish there, lying on his stomach with one arm underneath his pillow. Sakura felt her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly as she felt the urge to just kiss his cheek. But she fought it, knowing that it would be wrong. They were wrong in what they had done months before and now paid for it with a child. Any more feelings could further slow her progress toward her goals.
'But one small kiss wouldn't hurt. . . ' Sakura thought. She knew Syaoran was a pretty heavy sleeper, and wouldn't feel a thing when she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. He sighed in his sleep, and Sakura smiled gently. If her child had anything of its father, she decided it would be something good. As she turned and walked away, a pair of dark amber eyes slowly opened, watching her sneak back out of his room. Syaoran took in a breath, letting her walk out of the room. What had happened could have been a figment of his imagination. She could have just been sleepwalking or something. He wasn't about to go ask her about it, it would be a horribly awkward situation. Instead he let his eyes close once again to wait on the alarm to go off.
Syaoran and Sakura waited for Eriol and Tomoyo to pick them up, their breath showing in the January cold. As if they had willed it, Eriol pulled up to the side of the road, and the couple loaded their things into the car. As they began driving, Tomoyo looked back at Sakura and gave her a devilish smile and a wink. Sakura looked at Tomoyo with confusion before understanding fully what her friend was trying to get across to her. They pulled into the parking lot, and as the foursome walked toward the building Sakura pulled Tomoyo to her, slowing down to let the boys get out of earshot.
"Did you do what I think you did?" Sakura asked, her curiosity paying off with an excited nod from Tomoyo."We did. It was amazing. I'm so glad I waited for him. He was worth it." Tomoyo exclaimed, and Sakura immediately asked for details. As they walked up the steps, they were stopped by a couple of girls with heavy makeup and sarcastic smirks.
"Well if it isn't Prego herself. We all know you're trying to hide it, Kinomoto, but just come out with the truth. So who's the daddy? Or can't you remember?" one of the girls asked, and Tomoyo instantly was in her face.
"What's it to you, Krissy? Afraid it could be your boyfriend or something? Well think again, because Sakura doesn't go for freaks like your man." Tomoyo said boldly, and Sakura nodded. Krissy scoffed at Tomoyo, twirling some of her flaxen blonde hair in her hand and looking at her redheaded friend with a smirk.
"So I see you have your little friend making all your comebacks for you, Kinomoto. How weak. In any event, we all know you're a whore with no idea who the father of your baby is. For all we know, you went out and got wasted and did the first thing you saw. How tasteless, Kinomoto." Krissy argued, glaring daggers at Sakura.
"It's not going to work on me, you stupid bimbo. I'm not telling you so you can pull some cheap ass trick on him to break us apart. He's not from around here anyway, so you couldn't find him if you tried. Now get out of my way, you stupid worthless bitch." Sakura said calmly, taking a few steps up to Krissy and pushing her out of their way so she could walk into the building.
"You're just a stupid whore, Kinomoto, and everyone knows it. It doesn't matter who your family is, we all know who you are." Krissy called after Sakura, but she paid no attention as she and Tomoyo walked into the school.
"Why didn't you tell Krissy that Syaoran was the baby's father?" Tomoyo asked quietly. Krissy's boyfriend Jack was on the same soccer team with Syaoran, and seemed to get pummeled to the ground by him on a regular basis. Sakura shrugged and walked toward their classroom.
"There's no need to ruin two reputations." Sakura said simply. Tomoyo nodded quietly, not arguing with her friend. She had to listen to what Eriol told her. As Tomoyo continued to her locker, Sakura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her to the wall. She looked up to see one of the soccer players holding her against the wall with a smirk.
"Hey Kinomoto, after you pop that one out how about you and me go somewhere? I'll treat you better than the guy who did this to you ever could." He said, a hint of ridicule in his voice. Sakura shook her head and tried to push past the athlete, but he pressed her against the wall with his strong body, squishing her slightly.
"Fuck off." Sakura whispered. The tall young man laughed and reached around to grab her rear with his hands. Sakura choked back a cry of shock, then pushed with all her might against him, freeing herself to walk quickly to her class. She slid into her seat in front of Syaoran, who looked at her with concern. He opened his mouth to ask, but the bell rang and the class began.
At lunch, Sakura and Tomoyo sat with Eriol, eating the lunches quietly. Sakura could feel the stares and hear the intense whispering about her, and wrote it off. Tomoyo watched her friend ignore the obvious chatter about her, and tried to smile.
"Sakura, can I ask you a question?" Tomoyo asked, and Sakura nodded, taking a drink of her juice. Tomoyo cleared her throat, taking a look at Eriol for support.
"Could anything ever happen between you and Syaoran romantically?" Tomoyo managed, and Sakura nearly spit out her milk. Had Syaoran said something to Eriol this morning about the kiss?! Was he even AWAKE when that happened?! Sakura turned a bright shade of red and shook her head.
"Last time we got romantically involved we got pregnant. I don't think it wise to try something beyond him being the father of my baby." Sakura said quietly, making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. Tomoyo nodded, but Eriol could see the slightest hint of indecision in Sakura's brilliant green eyes. Before anyone could continue, Syaoran sat down and began his lunch, earning a strained smile from Tomoyo, a smile from Eriol, and a light blush from Sakura, who got up from the table to throw out her trash.
"Syaoran, do you think it's possible for anything to happen between you and Sakura beyond making this baby?" Tomoyo blurted suddenly, and Syaoran almost choked on his ham.
"Are you TRYING to make me choke?! No, we're not going anywhere beyond this. I'm the father of her child, and I am doing what I have to do as a man. Nothing more." Syaoran said quietly. Tomoyo nodded sadly, looking at Eriol and taking another bite of her lunch. Sakura sat back down, and the two of them exchanged glances, then turned away blushing. Eriol smirked, knowing Tomoyo had done a lot more than just ask a question.
She'd planted the seeds of 'what if' in their heads.
Alright, sorry it's not that great. But I'm trying to write a new fic, and it's gotten off to a slow start. . . considering I have one chapter up in the course of four months! I have writer's block!! Send me some love, ya'll, I need it!